Paris and Berlin like to appear as a couple, but on Thursday the impression deepened that their relationship was in crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron said he would work with Chancellor Olaf Scholz when he arrived at the European Council in Brussels, “because it is neither good for Germany nor for Europe that it (Germany) isolates itself”.
The performance lasted seven minutes, at the end Macron varied the sentence again: “I’ve been here for more than five years to try to make suggestions, to make progress, to create unity. And I don’t think it’s a good thing for a country to isolate itself.” Macron unites, Scholz is isolated – there aren’t many moments in Franco-German relations where dissonance came to light so clearly.
Scholz emphasizes German efforts
Macron’s comment immediately referred to the differences between the two countries on energy policy, particularly on whether Brussels should take on fresh debt to give member states more leeway to tackle high energy prices. “We need more financial solidarity,” said the French President.
“It is very clear that Germany has acted in a very solidary manner,” said the Chancellor, on the other hand, when he arrived at the Council building. Scholz referred to the aid fund in the corona crisis and once again claimed that he had developed it. Most of these funds, 600 out of 750 billion euros, have not yet been spent and can now be used for investments in the energy crisis.
The public row was followed by a 25-minute talk between the chancellor and the president on Thursday before going to the council together. Both met without a consultant. They agreed to meet again at the Elysée Palace next Wednesday. The Franco-German Council of Ministers was supposed to take place in Paris, but it had been canceled the day before. With the remarkable justification that not only is more time needed to prepare, but that too many ministers are already in the autumn holidays.
crisis talk? Macron and Scholz in Brussels on Thursday
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Image: AFP
After the tête-à-tête, the German side said the conversation had been cordial, as usual, and that Macron and Scholz had a very good and resilient relationship. Macron’s performance was billed as “theatrical thunder.” It’s not easy for the French president right now because of the union protests and refinery strikes. But it wasn’t the only sign that the house blessing was lopsided that day.
Dissatisfaction with Berlin’s reaction
French Finance and Economics Minister Bruno Le Maire said in an interview with the FAZ that a new “phase of fruitful confrontation” had begun between Berlin and Paris. This is due to the radically new challenges of inflation, the energy crisis and the return of war. President Macron used the term “fruitful confrontation” with Germany in spring 2019 to justify opposing views on a free trade agreement with America.
From the French point of view, Macron tried to forge compromises with the government led by Scholz by making concessions. During the French EU Council Presidency in the first half of the year, he took German gas supply constraints into account. However, in the Elysée Palace, the impression has been gaining ground that this concession is not being noticed in Berlin.
In background discussions, those responsible in Paris are surprised at the Berlin method of announcing plans worth billions without explaining what the large sums are to be used for. That was the case with the 100 billion euro special fund for defense spending as well as with the 200 billion euro defense shield (“double boom”). It seems as if Germany decides for itself and doesn’t even bother to let its closest allies in on its plans. This creates uncertainty and is not a working method that is permanently acceptable in view of the war, according to government circles.
Many other EU countries have recently publicly criticized this approach. Germany does the equivalent of “exactly the same thing that France does,” Scholz replied in Brussels.